‘Dear Ones,” the April 30 letter begins. “The recipe on the other side is one I just have to share. It makes the best teriyaki chicken and teriyaki sauce I’ve ever tasted, and I’ve eaten a lot of teriyaki, even in its home country of Japan.
I made a few changes, however, and you need to know about them. They are:
1. I used chicken thighs rather than wings. Lots of thighs in the freezer, but no wings.
2. I left out the sesame seeds since Mary Lou has diverticulosis and cannot eat seeds of any kind, not even strawberry seeds.
3. Since we both take Lipitor, left out the grapefruit juice, so cannot attest to its flavor.
4. Since we’re both diabetics, I used SugarTwin instead of real sugar.
5. Looked in four markets, couldn’t find fresh hot red chilies other than habaneros, and baby, I ain’t foolin’ with none of those, so used one level teaspoon of dried cayenne.
Other than that, I followed the recipe carefully. And is it ever good!
One word of caution: Do not substitute for the hoisin sauce. Makes a huge contribution to the teriyaki flavor. And don’t worry about having most of the jar left over. This teriyaki is so good, you’ll have no trouble using up the whole jar long before bar-b-q eatin’ season is over. I guarantee we-uns is gonna eat lots more teriyaki chicken! Enjoy! Uncle Arch.”
And now, Forum friends, the question you may be asking is: Why on earth did I run this letter? Who is it from? And just which recipe is it talking about that’s so-o-o-o darned good?
“Dear Judyrae,” our April 30 Forum letter begins. “Thank you for publishing John Sleeper’s recipe for teriyaki wings. We enjoyed it so much I’ve shared it with the family and a very few very dear friends. When you described it as a drop-dead delicious recipe, you were right on!
I made a few changes, and have enclosed a copy of my letter to the family and friends for your information. On the thighs, I used 12 that weighed a little over three pounds, and baked them for 45 minutes. Sincerely and thank you, Arch Whisman.”
There! Now that your questions are answered, let’s all thank this thoughtful Edmonds contributor-cook for sharing his insight on ways diet-challenged folks can enjoy this totally terrific dish without jeopardizing their health by trampling all over or, worse yet, ignoring vitally important food restrictions.
Next, let me just mention, for those of you who may have missed this amazingly popular tastebud-grabbing recipe, it was shared by our own Herald sports columnist and obvious kitchen artist John Sleeper in an April 6 column.
Let me also repeat what he told us back then: “I’ve experimented with a lot of different ways to make this, but this recipe seems to do the trick. The surprise ingredient is the grapefruit juice, which adds some zip to it. Sometimes, I go without the red chili. I also might turn up the garlic, as many as 10 cloves. But, then, I love garlic.”
He also said this is an easy dish to put together, and that his 11-year-old daughter loves to help him with it.
While a girl helper would obviously be very desirable, especially one with the experience of Miss Sleeper, Whisman has proven that the recipe can nonetheless be prepared successfully and deliciously without one. And without the grapefruit juice, too. Still and all, I’d like to include it at my house, even though one of us can’t have this particular type of juice, either. My idea is to substitute 3/4 cup of pineapple juice sharpened up with 1/4 cup of lemon juice and see where that gets us.
But I digress. So, last but not least today and well worth waiting for, and especially for those of you who missed or misplaced this awesome concoction, here it is again:
Teriyaki wings a la Sleeper
Wings:
2dozen chicken wings (about 31/4 pounds), rinsed and patted dry
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted in a skillet over medium heat until lightly browned
Leaves from a half bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped
Teriyaki sauce:
1cup low-sodium soy sauce
1cup grapefruit juice
1/4cup hoisin sauce (available in oriental section of supermarkets)
1/4cup ketchup
3tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1/4cup brown sugar
1fresh hot red chili, halved
5cloves garlic, minced
2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and smashed with side of large knife
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Season chicken wings with salt and pepper. Lay the wings in a single layer on a shallow (rimmed) baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes or until the skin gets crispy and the wings are cooked through.
Meanwhile, for the teriyaki sauce, combine soy sauce, grapefruit juice, hoisin sauce, ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, red chili, garlic and ginger in a large saucepan. Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, reducing until slightly thickened.
Pour sauce into a large bowl. Dump the baked wings into the bowl of sauce and toss to mix with sauce, then transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with the sesame seed and cilantro. Serve immediately, while wings and sauce are hot.
The next Forum will appear in Friday’s Time Out section.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
